Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-09-29
A SMUGGLER'S MUSEUM.
What May Be Seen at Police Headquarters
in London.

What May Be Seen at Police Headquarters
in London.
At Scotland-yard says the st. James's
Gazette, there is an almost unknown
museum full of the significant and some
times CHASTITY objects which have aided in
| the commission of great crime. Probab-
ly the police of most greet
capitols have made similar collections.
In the custom house there is believed to
be room IN which are kept selection
of the most curious aids to smaggleing-
hollow cheeses, boxes with false bottoms
and the like-which have been seized in
the possession of persons OF undoubted
ingenuity but of j shaky honesty. In
Paris there is similar but probably
much more interesting museum; since
the existence of the octoli duties which
are levied upon great variety of articles
| induces good many people who in other
| regards are probably honest enough to
endeavor to defraud the revenue. Here
| are kept some scores of the most clever
| devices of professional or amatuer SNUG
| glers which have from time to time been
selzed at the barriers of the city, or at
the custom houses throughout the coun-
try. Most of them are exceedingly in
genius; and some are indeed of nature
| to suggest that in France even smugglers
possess esprit.
What appears at casual glance to be
block of Carrara marble is really paint
ed Sheet-lrOn box. 1t arrived at the
frontier in train from Italy, along with
five similar ones. A curious depression
on one of these blocks aroused the sus-
picion of a douanier, and upon exami-
nation the trick was discovered. The
boxes were filled with ballast to make
them heavy, and at the bottom of each
lay $1,000 worth of Venetian lace. A
pile of innocent looking logs of fire wood
such as are burned in Paris, were found
to be hollow metal tubes covered with
the bark of trees, and filled with datiable
! liquors. Probably not an officer who
possessed long familiarity with the ways
of smugglers would suspect pile of four
dozen ordinary soup plates. Here is such
pile. There is nothing in the least
suspicious about the top and bottom doz-
ems; but the twenty four plates in the
middle form one deep vessel with two
dozen projecting rims, and when the
drolt little arrangement was seizec this
vessel was filled with contraband brandy.
coffin dispatched from Mareeills, and
bearing a railway liable. has curious
HlStoIy. OurlHS buo % 1uSul1C VI CuOlerdS
at Marseilles, two or three years ago cot
fins were constantly passing the barriers
of that city and The officers respectfully
uncovered as another coffined victim of
the pestilence was solemly wheeled past
On a handcart. The fear of infectio =
lulled their suspicious perhaps; but whef
the cholera was stamped out and still the
collins did not diminish in number 1t was
resolved to pluck out the heart of the
mystery. The next coffin that arrived
was opened and was found to be cram
med with choice cigars.
Perhaps the most daring scheme for
cheating the Partisan city chest of which
the museum contains evidence was Ella
borated by a gentleman who was in the
habit of driving his elegant victoria
every evening past the barrier at the
entrance to the Bots de Boloune. He was
always accom- panied by smart groom
who slumbered peacefully upon the box
while his master drove. Shortly after
ENTHUSIASTICALLY long to allow the gen
tleman to make the regulation tour du
lac"-the carriage would return; and the
officials became SO accustomed to it's pas
sage that they ceased to examine 1t,
and the owner drove back into Paris at
smart trot, courteously returning their
salutations with his whip. That smart
trot was his undoing. One even the vic
toria ran into hevy wagon and the
master and groom were thrown out.
Monsieur was picked up insensible while
from deep wound in the head of the
groom slowly trickled stream of cham
| payne. The interesting mental was com
posed of zinc dexterously fashioned and
painted and he has found resting place
in the smugglers' museum. The carriage
| was found to contain a zinc well which
was likewise full of champagne. India
rubber dress improvers arranged TO CON
| ceal articles Of contraband have often
been seized; while not the least curious
exhibit is an India-rubber baby capable
of containing eighteen pints of untaxed
| liquor.